Roadway Sign Installation Risks

Being on a highway in the safety of a car is dangerous enough as it is, but when working on or above a highway, the safety hazard escalates. Being wary of the risks of working on roadways goes well beyond insuring one’s own safety, but also the safety of all others on the road.

Installation of roadway signs has some unique and inherent risks involved in the work. The team at SignagePro, an insurance program designed for Sign, Display, and Awning Manufacturing, Installation, and Servicing businesses, recognizes the risks involved with this line of work. Some of these risks include:

Fast Moving Vehicles
When installing signs on the side of a highway, the road tends to stay open to traffic, albeit in lanes that are further away from the work site. However, even with a lane closed off to give workers space and a couple of miles of warning signs of a work zone, accidents still happen. Cars (and even more-so tractor trailers) move at speeds in excess of 65 MPH on the highway; which could cause serious or fatal injuries if they were to strike a worker. It’s always a danger to look out for when working on a highway with elevated speed limits.

Sign Damage
Accidents can happen when installing just about anything, including street signs. The difference with a street sign is that some of them get installed at heights in excess of 20 feet up. Dropping a sign from that height can damage it beyond use. It’s important to have replacement coverage in the event of this happening.

Falls
As we just mentioned, some street signs can be mounted in excess of 20 feet off the ground. Fall risks are always apparent when working at heights this far up. What makes the exposure especially dangerous is that signs are typically installed above asphalt over a highway; and falling on a hard surface will certainly result in greater injuries.

Third Party Damage
Negligence when installing a sign can lead to the damage of a third party’s property. On a highway, the danger of this is exacerbated by the fact that cars are moving at high speeds and that there are normally quite a bit of them on the road at a time. A falling sign can lead to a very serious accident whether it’s on a highway, or normal road.

These are just a few, but some of the most notable risks faced in the roadway sign installation class of business. It is always imperative for workers to be cautious for not only their own safety, but the safety of drivers on the road.